October 29, 2012

Big Story Weather – October 29, 2012

by Joshua Kelly

Big Story Weather from October 26-28: This past weekend severe weather has been limited. The only thing that we have seen is the very cold air dropping into the Southern Plains as temps in this region fell to just below freezing creating a lot of end of season growing conditions. The second big thing has been the impact of Sandy along the East Coast where places have been dealing with high storm surge and also strong winds and seas that have been reported around 24 feet just off the coast.

Weather Outlook for October 29: Interaction between a frontal boundary over the Eastern Great Lakes and the arrival of Hurricane Sandy will bring “History Making” conditions throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Today will see winds well over 60mph, rainfall in the 6-12 inch range, and heavy snowfall back in the Appalachians with some places getting near 2ft. Strong winds will also impact places as far west as Green Bay WI and as far south as the Gulf Coast region. This storm system is huge and very strong. Interaction between high pressure over the Great Lakes and Hurricane Sandy will make for strong winds in the Great Lakes region along with waves on the lakes approaching +20feet. A weak area of disturbed weather will be moving through the Northern Rockies and will bring with it a few passing showers. High pressure will impact the weather over the Southwest today. Below is the weather for a few select cities.

International Weather Outlook for October 29: A frontal boundary extending through Japan will bring increased cloud cover over the region and back into the Korea’s. High pressure will bring partly cloudy skies to Eastern Europe, while heavy rain and a frontal boundary will move through Western Europe and England today. A frontal boundary is extending through the tip of South America bringing cloudy skies and a few showers to the region. High pressure is building in over Australia which is bringing partly cloudy skies. Here is the forecast for a few select international cities for Monday October 29 Evening.

Hong Kong China: Partly Cloudy with a few thunderstorms and a low near 24C.

Manila PI: Partly Cloudy with a low near 23C.

Singapore SI: Partly Cloudy with a few areas of thunderstorms and a low near 26C.

Perth Australia: Partly Cloudy with a low near 13C.

October 29, 2012 Storm Tracker Update:

Atlantic Basin: Hurricane Sandy is getting ready to unleash its power over the Eastern Seaboard from Maine all the way into the Southeast. Winds will be hurricane force in the New York City and Baltimore Maryland and Washington D.C. area. Tropical Storm force winds will come from Maine all the way south into Georgia and portions of Northeast Alabama and westward into the Great Lakes. As of 6AM CDT current winds with Sandy are near 85mph with gusts near 90mph as pressure is around 946mb with the potential of even getting stronger before making landfall.

Eastern Pacific: There are three area’s being watched for potential development in a line from Central America westward with the winds in these areas around 20kts and pressure around 1006-1010mb.

Gulf of Alaska: No storms in the region today.

Central Pacific: No areas of concern in this region today.

Western Pacific: Tropical Storm Son-Tinh continues to track inland over Vietnam with winds around 40kts and a pressure of 993mb. Elsewhere near the coast of India there is one more area of interest with winds around 30kts and a pressure of 1000mb.

South Indian Ocean: One feature moving through the Central Indian Ocean this morning has winds around 15kts and a pressure of 1010mb.

ENSO Watch (Neutral Phase): This morning everything is holding strong to remain in the Neutral phase, however there is still a chance to see El-Nino conditions to form and they will probably be weak.

Five Day Storm Index Outlook for Oct 28-Nov 2:

Buffalo NY: On the 29th and 30th conditions will provide for strong impacts with everything from winds, rain, snow, surge on the lake and also flooding. On the 31st conditions will become moderate with strong winds and potential rain/snow in the region. November 1st and 2nd the region will be dealing with some residual winds and cleanup efforts which will leave the region in a slight impact zone.

Miami FL: High pressure will bring a nice cool few days to the region with no impacts forecasted.

Sioux Falls SD: A fairly tranquil week with the 1st seeing a potential of showers to move into the region which could bring a slight impact to the area.

Billings MT: The 30th will provide the area with some valley rains and possible mountain snows which will put the region into a slight impact area for that time period followed by the remainder of the week looking nice with no impacts.

Los Angeles CA: High pressure and the lack of weather will allow for the region to enjoy an impact free week.

Climate Watch for October 24-28:

Buffalo NY: Warmer than average temps from 7-24 degrees over the 24th through the 26th. The 27th and 28th temps fell to around 7-12 degrees below average.

Miami FL: Temps started around 2 degrees above average followed by a 3-4 degree below average temps and then back to near normal for the past few days.

Sioux Falls SD: Temps have been below average for the entire period ranging from 4-18 degrees below average.

Billings MT: Temps started the period anywhere from 16-29 degrees below average followed by a slow warming with temps about 5 degrees above average on the 28th.

Los Angeles CA: Temps started near normal and then the last few days have been rising to around 9-16 degrees above average.

Major Weather Impacts Discussion for Oct 29, 2012:

Day 1-3: The big story for this time period will be Hurricane Sandy and all the winds and precipitation that it’s going to create from Maine all the way southward into the Southeast and westward into the Great Lakes region. Winds for many places in the Mid-Atlantic and New York area will be hitting 70+ mph tonight through the overnight hours. Places as far south as Atlanta may see wind gusts near 50mph. Chicago could be dealing with wind gusts near 40mph. By day 3 another frontal boundary will be making its way onshore over the Pacific Northwest and the effects of Sandy will still be felt.

Day 4-7: During this time period there will still be a low pressure sitting over Canada slowly moving out to sea. High pressure will be in control of most of the country while a 958mb low pressure will be heading into the Gulf of Alaska during this time period. Day 7 we will see another frontal boundary begin to develop over the Southern Plains and slowly move northeastward which could start bringing the return of severe weather to the Southern Plains.

Day 8-12: The start of this period will have high pressure over the extreme eastern seaboard and a frontal boundary moving through the Great Lakes extending southward into the Gulf Coast region. Along with that another frontal boundary will be approaching the Pacific Northwest. By day 11 we will have a low pressure moving up the east coast again and also a frontal boundary moving through the Northern Plains bringing with it rain and snow.

Day 13-15: The period will be dominated with a strong area of high pressure building in from Canada with another potent low pressure system moving through the Central Plains. This looks like we could have the setup for some strong-severe storms in the Southern Plains and into the Gulf Coast region.

Today’s Spotlight Forecast is for New York City NY:

Monday: Cold with strong winds and heavy rainfall. Winds are forecasted to be Northeast at 45-75mph with gusts near 85mph this evening and overnight. Rainfall amounts could be near 6 inches. Anticipate seeing storm surge rise to near 6-11ft in the harbors. “Hurricane Conditions Likely”. High temps will be near 63F and overnight lows around 55F.

Tuesday: Cold with strong winds and heavy rainfall. Winds are forecasted to be Southeast at 35-50mph with gusts near 70mph. Rainfall amounts near 4-6 inches along with storm surge 6-11ft in the harbors. “Hurricane Conditions through noon likely”. The winds will slowly decrease during the afternoon and evening to around 25-40mph. High temps will be near 60F and overnight lows will be near 50F.

Wednesday: Mostly Cloudy with periods of showers. Winds will be Southwest 12-17mph with gusts near 30mph. Rainfall around 1-2in. Storm Surge will still be higher than normal. High temps will be around 54F and lows will be near 41F.

Thursday: Partly Cloudy with a high near 52F and overnight lows will be around 39F. Winds will be from the Southwest around 12-17mph.

Friday: Partly Cloudy and cool with a high near 54F. Winds will be from the Northwest around 12-17mph as overnight lows fall to around 41F.

Ask The Weatherman for October 29:

Question: Why is Sandy so “Perfect?”

Answer: Sandy as we know is a hurricane that is headed towards the north and is expected to run into a frontal boundary which is separating warm air from cold Arctic air that is plunging in behind the front. With all of these things coming together, we are seeing something that has never occurred over the land of United States before. It is setting up just like the Perfect Storm of 1991, however, this storm is moving right over land into the New York City and New Jersey areas.

*** To have your question of the day answered or have your city spotlighted for the day make sure to visit redOrbit on Facebook. ***

Green Energy Weather Report for October 29:

Wave Energy: Near the shores of Maine should be still good today as waves are not too large yet. Also on the back side of Sandy near the Florida coast will be a good spot as waves begin to come down.

Solar Energy: High pressure in the Southwest will make this a great region for solar power today. The Central Plains will also see good solar income today along with the Gulf Coast region.

Wind Energy: Hurricane Sandy is going to have far-reaching effects. However, along the outer edge of Sandy, the winds will be good for wind energy from Minnesota southward into the Gulf Coast region as this area stays just on the outside of Sandy’s stronger wind belts.

Hydro-Energy: The frontal boundary and interaction with Sandy will leave the Ohio River Valley along with multiple rivers in the Northeast dealing with the potential of making some strong hydro energy today.

October 29 Weather and Your Wallet (Baltimore MD):

All in all a great time to stay home and for the next few days.

Dining: Home dining will be the choice of many for the next few days as most places will be closed.

Transportation: Airports, trains, and buses are mostly shut down for the region today and possibly tomorrow as well. Also personal vehicles will need to be driven with caution as we will see water from the harbor move over the sea walls along with heavy rain which will make many roads flooded throughout the region.

Shopping: Most places will be closed, so the best bet if you need to shop is your online stores for the next couple of days.

Electricity: This will be a huge problem as temps are going to drop making for a chilly day. There is the potential of strong winds and heavy rain knocking trees and power lines down. Expect to see power outages through this region starting this afternoon which could last for some time.

Agriculture: A good day to just put all the chores off around the house and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate.

Construction: The winds, rain and surge will make it impossible for construction work. However, there will be work in the next few days on removing debris and sand from the roads in this region so be advised of that.

Outdoor Venues: A good day to just stay in side as most places do not have anything planned for today or tomorrow due to the weather.

Image Caption: NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite captured this visible image of the massive Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 28 at 1302 UTC (9:02 a.m. EDT). The line of clouds from the Gulf of Mexico north are associated with the cold front that Sandy is merging with. Sandy’s western cloud edge is already over the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States. (Credit: NASA GOES Project)